Budget

Ohana: Knesset budget to be cut by NIS 125m. following two years of intense war with Hamas

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana announces a NIS 125 million budget cut for 2025, with the funds directed to the treasury to support Israel's economy amid ongoing challenges.

PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG addresses the Knesset plenum at the opening of the winter session on October 20, 2025.
The Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) has completed preparations for the arrival of US President Donald Trump at Ben Gurion Airport.

Keep US aid and wartime replenishment off Israel’s 2026 base budget - opinion

French outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu delivers a statement in the courtyard at the Hotel Matignon in Paris after launching a series of talks with political parties' leaders as France faces a political crisis following the announcement of the resignation of the new government, France.

France's Macron reappoints former prime minister Lecornu as PM as political crisis deepens

Knesset plenary session. September 29, 2025.

Knesset approves NIS 30 b. increase in defense budget for ‘war-related’ expenses


Strong on defense, weak on welfare: Israel neglects the social front - opinion

The social front has been neglected in Israel during the two years of war.

THE MASAH IM HALEV project: Pitchon Lev goes around different cities across the country and, together with hundreds of volunteers, distributes basics to families who receive support from the organization.

‘Shameful’: Smotrich faces uproar from bereaved families amid push for NIS 30b. defense budget rise

Bereaved families slammed Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for skipping a meeting on aid, as he pushed a NIS 30b defense budget increase.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a committee meeting on September 14, 2025.

Knesset to vote on NIS 30 billion increase in defense budget, making cuts to other ministries

Israel’s 2025 budget vote will boost defense by NIS 30b, with haredi MKs set to abstain, leaving the tied coalition hoping the measure will still pass.

A plenum session at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, September 10, 2025.

Our money, their shares: A way to return funds to the public - opinion

Is the government’s role solely to stimulate growth and employment, or also to ensure that the public becomes a full partner in the profits of hi-tech success?

New Israeli Shekel bills are seen in front of an upwards-trending graph (illustration)

The state of the Israeli economy - opinion

One major difficulty when evaluating Israel’s current economic situation is the lack of concrete data about the government’s operational plans regarding the war in Gaza.

FINANCE MINISTER Bezalel Smotrich addresses a news conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem earlier this month. That Smotrich is not an economist, and is quite ignorant of current economic theory and practice, is no secret, says the writer.

Your Investments: Don’t let summer heat burn your finances

Start planning and saving well in advance of the summer so that the sudden expenses don’t send you scrambling to try and find the money to pay for them.

 Mother and toddler sitting under the tree during summer vacation. (Illustrative).

The price of conflict: Israel's economy has barely survived over a year of war, experts say

The general consensus of the conference was that Israel is only able to survive and thrive thanks to its national resilience and spirit of mutual responsibility.

 Former Bank of Israel governor Karnit Flug.

Israel's forests burn while gov't continues to underfund Fire and Rescue Authority

Our forests are burning, yet the government is stoking the conflagration by cutting budgets.

 A forest fire is seen burning in Israel.

Teachers' Union strike negotiations ends after agreement reached

This follows earlier reports of the Teachers' Union rejecting the compromise proposal to shorten the planned strike from three hours to just one hour.

Schools are quiet as the Teachers' Union seeks to strike, May 5, 2025.

Trump’s 2026 budget request includes plans for an Israeli-inspired ‘Golden Dome for America’

It’s part of Trump’s proposal for a massive $113 billion increase in Department of Defense spending, a jump of 13%, amid widespread cuts elsewhere. 

 U.S. President Donald Trump holds a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 30, 2025.

‘You are being incited with lies’: Smotrich denies Finance Ministry responsible for teacher pay cuts

Smotrich claimed there were necessary budget cuts across multiple sectors as a result of the war's growing cost.

 Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at Knesset, February 10, 2025.